Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl becomes the first player since Esa Tikkanen with 10 goals in two consecutive playoffs

Leon Draisaitl’s goal in the second period of Game 4 against the Dallas Stars not only gave the Oilers some breathing room but also put his name in the record books yet again.

Not long after Mattias Janmark scored shorthanded to give Edmonton the lead and the penalty to Derek Ryan was killed off, a botched pass by the Stars in the neutral zone resulted in Draisaitl taking the puck the other way. A quick back and forth with Zach Hyman later and Draisatil got the insurance marker that sent Rogers Place into a frenzy.

The goal got him to 10 goals in these playoffs, making him the first Oiler since Esa Tikkanen to reach double-digit tallies in two straight playoff runs. While he got to the mark a bit slower than last spring (13 goals in 12 games in 2023), it is still an impressive achievement nonetheless and is a further indication that he is a man on a mission this spring.

The crazy thing is this is not the first record he has broken in this postseason. Draisaitl became the fastest player ever to 20 career road playoff goals back in round one and became the third fastest to hit 100 career postseason points which was achieved in the second round. Should Edmonton progress further in these playoffs, the record books will probably start sweating because he could force another rewrite.

Make no mistake, Draisaitl is a playoff performer and is a big factor in why the Oilers are the closest they have ever been to a trip tie Cup Finals since 2006. With 26 points (10 goals and 16 assists) in 16 postseason games so far, he is one point back of Connor McDavid for the team lead in scoring. If Edmonton can pull this off and win it all for the first time since 1990, Draisaitl is making a strong case for winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

He and the Oilers will look to regain the series lead in the pivotal Game 5 on Friday night. Catch the action on Sportsnet and CBC with puck drop scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MDT.